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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25606900">The Pawtterfly Effect</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moooomoo/pseuds/Moooomoo'>Moooomoo</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Character(s), Based on a cute story going around on twitter at some point, Butterflies After The Rain, Domestic Fluff, First Meetings, M/M, Non-Idol AU, Written for a MEZZO" zine!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:13:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,899</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25606900</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moooomoo/pseuds/Moooomoo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Today was not a good day for Tamaki Yotsuba, 29 years old, dance teacher for kids. It really was not, despite starting quite nicely actually. Tamaki woke up after a good night's sleep to the birds chirping outside. It was quite sunny and the weather was fair. Knowing he had a long day off in front of him only made it better. Lying in bed while stroking his cat, the young man went through his possibilities. What a good day it was going to be !"<br/>...or so he thought. Disaster soon followed... but was it really a bad thing?</p><p>The story of a meeting between Tamaki and Sougo in a non-idol AU.<br/>Written for a MEZZO" zine which theme was the butterfly effect.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ousaka Sougo/Yotsuba Tamaki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Pawtterfly Effect</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written somewhere between the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020 for the Butterflies after the rain zine! All profits were donated to charity, and now we can share the content with others.</p><p>Thanks Teddie for giving me a chance to take part and Dami for correcting &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Today was not a good day for Tamaki Yotsuba, 29 years old, dance teacher for kids. It really was not, despite starting quite nicely actually. Tamaki woke up after a good night's sleep to the birds chirping outside. It was quite sunny and the weather was fair. Knowing he had a long day off in front of him only made it better. Lying in bed while stroking his cat, the young man went through his possibilities. He could take advantage of the weather to go dance a bit in the park, or he could catch up on his favourite tv show. He could also call his best friend and drag him to the arcade, it had been a while since they hung out thanks to their respective busy schedules. Listing all the possibilities in front of him, Tamaki couldn’t help but grin. He was getting excited just from the luxury of being able to choose. What a good day it was going to be ! Or he could… no, wait! Wasn’t today the day the new volume of the King Pudding’s Fantastic Adventures he has been waiting for for over two months was coming out?! A quick glance at his phone confirmed the date.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes!!!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tamaki’s happy shout and sudden movement earned him a complaining meow and a dark look from his cat, suddenly disturbed in her peacefulness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aah, ’m sorry Aya...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aya, a beautiful cat with long grey fluffy fur and dark blue eyes, decided in her great leniency to forgive her owner. After all, she hadn’t had any breakfast yet and it usually had a tendency to increase her love proportionally to the hunger she felt. Just as she settled back next to Tamaki’s chest, content with the warmth the bare skin provided, she felt her human moving again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry again Aya, but I need to get out now. I’ve been in bed long enough...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking at his phone not only confirmed to Tamaki that today was THE long awaited day, but also that it was almost 11am. Sleeping in was fine once in a while, but it would be a waste to spend more time in bed when he finally had a day off. Getting to the kitchen, Tamaki started taking out some ingredients to make pancakes – a good day had to start with a good breakfast after all – while humming a new song he kept hearing at the radio recently and got a liking to. He never remembered the name of the group long enough to find the song afterwards though. With lots of focus, Tamaki poured some of the pancake mix into the hot frying pan, trying to make it look like a King Pudding shape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hehe, nailed it! Aya, look, I think it could even be my best one so far! It’s just missing the crown… how could I make the crown hm…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A meow full of reproaches was his only answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aya, what’s wron--… oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Waiting in front of her food bowl, Aya puffed her chest. It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>obviously</span>
  </em>
  <span> empty, as you could just make out the bottom of the bowl, the remaining food having been pushed on the sides.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes yes, I got it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Tamaki bent down to fill up the bowl, Aya proceeded to rub her flanks on his legs, purring her thanks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There! Happy now, Aya?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But her human was forgotten as Aya started to happily munch on her food. Just as he was about to get back to his own, Tamaki’s nose was suddenly filled with the horrible smell of something burning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no!! My pancake!!!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it was too late. The perfect King Pudding pancake had been burnt to a crisp. Quickly turning off the fire didn’t help much as smoke filled the kitchen and started spreading to the living room. Coughing, Tamaki quickly opened the windows but in his haste toppled over the huge bowl with the pancake mix, spreading dough on the counter and the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you kidding me…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could hear his best friend just looking at the catastrophe he’d just made. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Are you trying to compete with Nanase-san?!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” With a heavy sigh, Tamaki started to clean the mess. He hated cleaning, so this was definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> on the “wonderful list of possible things to do on his day off”. After a good fifteen minutes, he was finally done but he was now hungry and sweaty, and his mood had dropped to a very low level.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Urgh… maybe I should give up on breakfast and just buy lunch on my way to get my King Pudding volume… what do you think Aya?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But no one answered him. Surprised, Tamaki looked around but Aya was nowhere to be seen. Which was weird, since she usually always stayed in the same room as him when she was not sleeping.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aya?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A quick tour of his apartment confirmed him that Aya was somehow gone. His worry spiked immediately, since his companion was an indoor cat that literally never went outside. Wondering how and where she disappeared, his eyes fell on the opened windows of the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Rushing to said windows, Tamaki braced himself and looked on the ground below. He lived on the 7th floor of the building, which could only mean terrible things if Aya were to fall. Thankfully for him, there was absolutely nothing down there. A sigh of relief escaped him, but he was still at a loss about where she could be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aya? Aya!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he was calling for her, the young man thought he heard a faint “meow” from somewhere, but couldn’t pinpoint it nor make sure it wasn’t his imagination. Defeated, Tamaki let himself fall on a chair and played the worst possible scenarios in his head. He was pretty sure it wouldn’t help at all, but he couldn’t help it. He has been living alone since he started working – which he did very young –  and taking Aya in a couple of years ago after finding the stray kitty shivering in the rain was one of the best decisions he had made. Since then, coming back home took on a different meaning. What if he never saw her again? This was the worst possible day ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right at that instant, the doorbell rang, startling him. Lost in his thoughts, he went to open the door as he was. The sight he was greeted with was the most unexpected one.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Behind the door was a young man with white hair and delicate features, holding a purring cat that looked absolutely delighted by the head scratching it was receiving.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Woah, so pretty—… wait, Aya?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aya!!!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the stranger’s deep amethyst eyes left the cat to fall on Tamaki, a blush spread across his cheeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I am very sorry… to disturb you…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is the moment Tamaki realised he was still only wearing his boxers. To his surprise he felt embarrassment. He usually didn’t care much about what others might think about him, but for some reason the opinion of the pretty stranger in front of him whom he’d only just seen for five seconds mattered to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… I heard you call a name by the window and this little guy reacted. I am right to assume this is your cat?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! This is Aya! Aya, where did you go?! I was so worried!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The culprit didn’t even make any attempts to get off the arms holding her and just purred stronger while closing her eyes, to Tamaki’s disbelief. Aya was not really a social cat, and every time he had people over she usually would either hide or give them the cold treatment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I found her in my apartment, I live just above you apparently… I’m not sure how she got in but... I turned my head and there she was, exploring around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry ‘bout that! I left my windows open after an, uh, accident, and she must have jumped from there? Anyway I’m really relieved you found her! I was so worried! Thank you so much… uh..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, my name is Ousaka Sougo, I live in apartment 819. Nice to meet you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tamaki gave Sougo a radiant smile as he tried to take Aya back into his own arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nice to meet ya too! Yotsuba Tamaki, well, apartment 745.Thanks again, Sou-chan!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S…Sou-chan….?“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! Sorry for Aya. It’s the first time she's ever done that…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No it’s really okay, there is no issue. Well then… have a nice day, Tamaki-kun, Aya-chan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sougo gave them a smile and left in the direction of the stairs. Tamaki couldn’t help but open his mouth, ready to say something to make him stay, until he realized he didn’t know what… or even why.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bye-bye…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His farewell was barely more than a whisper. Troubled, he tried to understand why he had that urge to prevent his neighbour from leaving, but shrug it off as he remained clueless about it. Aya’s meowing snapped him out of his thoughts, and he closed the door of their apartment with his heart beating slightly faster than usual. What a morning. Gracefully jumping down on the floor from his arms, Aya resumed her usual routine like nothing special had happened. Deciding he probably ought to do the same, Tamaki finally decided to hit the shower and get ready to leave. Spotting himself in the mirror as he entered the bathroom, he couldn’t help but blush slightly. He wasn’t giving off a very proper feeling. His hair was loosely gathered in a low and messy bun, while some remaining cinders smeared his right cheek and left shoulder. He was otherwise naked but for a pair of King Pudding boxers. Maybe he should leave out the fact he wasn’t dressed when he’d tell his friend Iori this story.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few hours later, food in his stomach and his long awaited manga in his hand, Tamaki was feeling much better. He almost didn’t think about his disastrous morning anymore. Almost. There was this scene in his book, where King Pudding saved a stray dog and returned it to her owner, and it immediately reminded him of Sougo.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder what’s his job…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daydreaming, Tamaki didn’t realize this was the fifth time now his thoughts came back to his mysterious neighbour today, and he sure didn’t expect there would be more to come.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When his doorbell rang on the next morning, Tamaki put down his manga volume and mug of hot chocolate with a curious look. It was unusual for him to have a visit so early, since their mailman usually didn’t go all the way up to the flats and Tamaki had very few friends and no living relatives.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wonder who it could be at such an early time… do you have an idea Aya?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The clock on his phone was telling him it was barely 7:05. Strangely, there was no meow answering him again this time. The chair where she was cleaning herself a dozen minutes earlier was empty. Tamaki still went straight to the door, not wanting to make whoever it was wait. At least this time, he was already dressed up as he was ready to go to work later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Behind the door was a now familiar view waiting for him. Sougo was there, holding a very calm and obviously pleased Aya in his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aya?! Sou-chan? Why… How ?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Tamaki-kun. I am very sorry to disturb you another time, but I just found Aya-chan in my living room again…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tamaki scratched his head, embarrassed at the fact he didn’t notice her absence right away and that he had no idea how she got out. He kept talking to her, since he lived alone, but he was too used to the silence around him to pay attention to it anymore if he was focused on something else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“ ‘m really sorry, Sou-chan… I don’t even know how she got out... I didn’t notice she was gone since I was reading and she was just there the moment before…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The pretty neighbour then laughed, and Tamaki could swear his heart skipped a beat. This laugh was so musical.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, really. She seems happy when I pet her, so all is good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And happy she indeed looked. When Tamaki took her back into her arms, she even let out a disappointed meow, making Tamaki frown his eyebrows.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t ya </span>
  <em>
    <span>meow</span>
  </em>
  <span> me Aya! I hope you didn’t make Sou-chan late for his work or… whatever he was doing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sougo let out another small laugh, and Tamaki’s felt slightly his cheeks getting warmer.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Please, do it again.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Wait, no. Why would he think that? Sougo went on as Tamaki’s own confusion grew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Haha, it’s okay really. I still have about one hour ahead of me before I need to go. I hope this didn’t make you late, though? You look like you were about to go out as well today… ah..!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A blush coloured Sougo’s cheeks as he realised his “today” was indirectly referring to Tamaki’s sloppy dress-style of the previous day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m… I’m very sorry… I didn’t mean to be rude…!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a few seconds Tamaki stood there in a mix of embarrassment and confusion as he understood the implied meaning, but in the end couldn’t help but burst into laughter at Sougo’s reaction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“’s fine, don’t worry. ‘m really sorry for how I opened yesterday, it was my day off and I don’t often get visitors so… When you live alone for too long, you kinda forget these kinds of things, haha. Oh crap, you’re right though, I need to go…!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was almost 7:30 now, time having fled by at light speed. Quickly putting Aya back inside the flat, Tamaki grabbed his sports bag and his keys waiting for him on the kitchen table before locking the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“’m really sorry Sou-chan. Thank you so much for Aya!!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry about it. Ah… have a nice day…!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tamaki’s heart missed another beat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hehe… t-thank you... I’m going now!“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he was in the elevator, Tamaki’s heart wouldn’t stop beating fast, confusing the young man. So it’s what it felt like to have someone tell you “have a nice day” before you left for work? That sure felt warm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly but surely, a new routine started for Tamaki and Aya. Every morning Aya would find a way to sneak out of the apartment, to Tamaki’s great disbelief, and Sougo would come down to bring her back. Along the days they learned a bit more about each other. Sougo was a young doctor, finally working after some long studies. Tamaki explained he opened a dance studio to teach dancing to kids, and he was loving his job a lot even if it didn’t make that much money. Turned out, Sougo loved music as well, and as soon as he started to blabber about his favorite groups he was sparkling like a precious gem. Just to see him more like this, Tamaki started to listen to the CDs and songs he kept talking about and brought them up anytime he had a chance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One morning, as Sougo came back down with Aya, Tamaki invited him in for a cup of chocolate. Sougo accepted but politely explained to him that he didn’t like sweet things, and two days later a brand new coffee machine appeared in Tamaki’s kitchen. After a while, Sougo sometimes would bring pastries as well as he came down with Aya, quickly nailing down which were Tamaki’s favorites after a few tries.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The best days when they were both off though. The conversations could sometimes stretch for a long time, and they started sharing more. Sougo had cut off all links with his family when his uncle died, and Tamaki lived in an orphanage until he turned 18 years old and finally had to manage for himself all alone. Despite being satisfied with their life, they both experienced loneliness on a daily basis and thus found a great satisfaction in their newfound friendship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As the months went by and became a year, the breakfasts became lunches or dinners, and the days off went from a few hours to complete days. Some things changed, but some others didn’t. One, for example, never did. Every morning, as Tamaki was making food, Sougo came to find him with Aya in his arms. Except, after a while he stopped coming from the flat above. Now, he was coming from their bedroom, usually wearing only an oversized shirt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Tamaki-kun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, Sou-chan! Good morning! Aya, good morning too!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leaning down, Tamaki softly kissed the foreheads of his two loves, his heart full like never before. The radio was on as Sougo sat at the table and Tamaki brought the food to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Today we’re going to talk to you about this new movie based on the “butterfly effect”! The concept is very simple: it is said that the flapping of the wings of a butterfly could---</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he sat down as well, joining his boyfriend, Tamaki had a wink for Aya who seemed perfectly satisfied by the addition to their family. Not quite twice as much food as expected, but twice as much attention was always good anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sometimes it’s a butterfly, but sometimes it can be a cat… right, Aya?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Meow~”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this very moment, Tamaki could have sworn he saw his cat wink back at him.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was based on a cute story going around on Twitter at some point about a girl who met her future-boyfriend because her cat kept going to her handsome neighbour's appartement.</p><p>I hope the end doesn't feel too abrupt, sorry for that!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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